Timer

ABSTRACT

A timer including a minutes indicator controlled to move along a stroke in two opposite directions. The dial of the timer has five apertures; the indicator has two colored zones adapted to appear beneath the dial apertures. The indicator may be positioned at a start position and thereafter moved so that the zones will pass behind the apertures to indicate time remaining for an event to occur.

United States Patent 91 [111 3,910,362 Piguet Oct. 7, 1975 TIMER [75]Inventor: Albert Piguet, Le Solliat, Pnmary E Mlner orney, gen orzrmiverman ass, Swltzerland A2: A 2 F S] & C Ltd [73] Assignee: AqustarS.A. Geneva, Switzerland A [22] Filed: Jan. 3, 1974 [57] ABSTRACT [21]Appl. No.: 430,419

A timer including a minutes indicator controlled to move along a strokein two opposite directions. The [30] Forelgn Apphfatlon Pnonty Data dialof the timer has five apertures; the indicator has Jan. 4, 1973Switzerland 57/73 two colored Zones adapted to appear beneath the dialapertures. The indicator may be positioned at a start U-Su so Zones [51][13h CI. G04f 7/04 p behind the apertures to indicate time remaining[58] Field of Search 58/74, 76, 127 for an event to occur [56]References Cited 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent (M11975shwlofll 3,910,362

US. Patent 0m. 7,1975 Sheet 2 of4 3,910,362

Sheet 3 of4 Patent Oct. 7,1975

U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet4 0f4 3,910,362

FIG 8 FIGS TIMER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present inventionrelates to a timer comprising a minutes indicator arranged in such a wayas to permit the counting of a limited number of minutes.

Such timers are known. They are used in sports, especially for theregattas, and permit the user to know precisely, and by means of a verysuggestive indication, the time which remains until a contemplatedevent, for instance the start of a race, occurs. In the knownembodiments of these timers, the minutes indicator is frictionallydriven, so that the operation of these timers, especially when the timerbecomes old, is not reliable.

The object of the present invention is to provide a construction whichproduces a much greater running reliability.

} SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The timer constructed according to thepresent invention is characterized by the fact that the minutesindicator is controlled by a control mechanism which itself is operatedon the one hand manually and on the other hand by means of a resilientdriving device, the arrangement being such that the controlmechanism,once operated manually, drives the minutes indicator in one sense while,operated by the resilient driving device, drives the minutes indicatorin the opposite sense; the connecting device between the gearing of themovement and the said indicator comprising means such that, at the endsof the strokes of the said indicator, this connection is interrupted,the whole in such a way that by operating manually the controlmechanism, against the action of the resilient driving device, onebrings the minutes indicator into one of its extreme positions, i.e. thestarting position, in which its connection with thegearing of themovement is interrupted, and that, when one ceases to act manually onthe control mechanism, the resilient driving device moves the minutesindicator so as to reestablish its connection with the gearing of themovement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings show, by way of example,one embodiment of the object of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a timer provided with a minutes indicatorintended for the counting of a limited number of minutes.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the minutes indicator.

FIG. 3 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of a detail of the timer,showing the driving, by the gearing of the movement, of the minutesindicator.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a detail, taken along the line IVIV ofFIG. 3 in the direction indicated generally, on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a part of the control mechanism of the minutesindicator as well as of the seconds indicator.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are plan views, taken on the same scale as that of FIG.3,'of a detail of the timer; more precisely, of a part of the controlmechanism of the FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a part of the controlmechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The timer represented comprises,in addition to the oridinary hands'of hours and of minutes, designatedrespectively by l and 2, a direct-drive secondshand 3, able to be resetto zero, by means of a control mechanism which is disclosed hereafter.The timer also includes a disc shaped minutes indicator 4, able to counta limited number of minutes and presenting, to this effect, twoperipheric zones 4a and 4b, differently coloured, appearing successivelyin five apertures 5 provided in the dial 6, of the timer. The discshaped minutes indicator 4 is stopped automatically at the end of itsstroke and can be brought back into its starting position by means ofthe above mentioned control mechanism.

The disc 4 is driven by the timer movement by means of a gear traincomprising four pinions 7, 8, 9 and 10.

(FIG. 3) the first three ones of which are in meshed engagement witheach other and the last two ones of which are coaxial and rigid one withthe other. The pinion 7 is coaxial and rigid with a third wheel 11 ofthe movement, while the pinion l0 meshes with the tooth ing 12a of atoothed sector 12, coaxial with the disc 4 (FIG. 4), with which it isrendered rigid by means of an eccentric device 13 carried by an arm 12bof the toothed sector 12. While acting on the eccentric device 13, onecan adjust slightly the relative position between the minutes indicatingdisc 4 and the toothed sector I2. It is to be noted that the sector isrigid with thepinion 14 (FIG. 4) constituting a distance piece betweenthe sectorand the disc 4, the purpose of which willbe indicatedhereafter, and which constitutes the last element of the cinematic chainof the control mechanism.

The driving device of the minutes indicator 4 connected through thegearing of the movement comprises moreover a coupling device including alever 15 articulated on the frame coaxially with the pinion 8, and whichcarries the two coaxial pinions 9 and 10, between which it isinterposed. Pinion 9 is in constant meshed engagement with the pinion 8and pinion 10 is capable of meshed engagement with or disengagement fromthe toothing 12a of the sector 12 according to the position occupied bythe lever 15. A spring 16 acts on lever 15 for maintaining it in theposition in which the pinion 10 is meshed with the sector 12.

The cont ol mechanism, operable manually, comprises a slider 17,operable by means of a pushbutton 18 (FIG. 1 The slider 17 (FIG. 5)moves in the direction of the arrow 19. Slider 17 operates, by means ofa beak 17a, a cam or shuttle 20, submitted to the action of a returnspring 21, which effects thus an oscillating movement according to thearrow 22. The cam 20 acts on a lever 23, articulated at 24 on the frameof the movement, and which carries a wheel 25 steadily meshing with awheel 26 secured on the axis 27 of the seconds wheel of the movement.The wheel 25 is meshed, when no pressure is exerted on the push-button18, that is to say when it occupiesthe position represented in thedrawing, with a chronograph wheel 28, the axis 29 of which carries theseconds hand 3. When pressure is exerted on the push-button 18, theslider 17 is moved towards the bottom of FIG. 5, thus rotating the cam20 in the clockwise direction, against the action of its return spring21, and urges the lever 23 to rotate in the opposite sense, thusreleasing the wheel 25 from the wheel 28. Simultaneously, areturn-to-zero-hammer 30, articulated at 31 on the frame of themovement, is operated by a control pin 32, carried by the slider 17, and

which operates by the intermediary of a control spring 33 carried by thehammer. The hammer 30 acts on a return-to-zero heart 34 carried by theshaft 29 of the chronograph, so that, at the same time that the hammeris released, the seconds hand 3 is returned to zero. It is sufficient toslack off the pressure exerted on the pushbutton 18, so that, under theaction of a return spring (not shown), the lever 23 resumes its initialposition, bringing the wheel 25 back in engagement with the wheel 28,and, thereby, restarting the seconds hand 3. It is to be noted tha thepin 32 carried by the slider 17 passes with play through an opening 35provided in the hammer 30, so that it is thus possible to continue thedisplacement of the slider 17 even when the hammer has already broughtthe heart 34 into the zero position, the spring 33 ensuring an elasticconnection between the slider and the hammer.

The cam is rigid with a second cam or shuttle 36, on which isarticulated at 37 a connecting rod 38 operating the minutes counter. Therod 38 is itself articulated at 39 on a stop-lever 40 articulated in at41 on the frame of the movement; more precisely between the barrelbridge and the base-plate designated respectively by 42 and 43. The stoplever 40 is mounted on a square shaped part of its axis of articulation41 (FIG. 9) so that it drives this axis in rotation. The axis 41carries, at its opposite end, forced thereon, a control lever 44carrying itself, secured thereon by a screw 45, a small plate 46 thepurpose of which will be indicated hereafter (FIG. 6, 7 and 8). The axis41 carries moreover, freely mounted thereon, an element 47 having theshape of a toothed sector, provided with an opening 48 traversed by apin 49 carried by the lever 44. Thus the lever 44 operates with play, bythe intermediary of the pin 49, the toothed sector 47 which has acertain degree of freedom of movement and the toothing of which,designated by 47a, is meshed with the pinion l4 rigid with the toothedsector 12 controlling the minutes indicator 4. The toothed sector 47issubmitted to the action of a control spring 50 which urges the sectorto move in the counter clockwise direction, that isto say, in the senseopposite to the sense in which it moves when it is operated manually.

The timer disclosed and represented operates as follows:

When pressure is exerted on the push-button 18, the slider 17 acts onthe cam 20 which operates the lever 23 to separate the wheel 25 from thewheel 28, thus interrupting the driving of the seconds hand 3. Theslider 17 acts also on the hammer 30 which cooperates then with theheart 34, bringing back to zero the seconds hand 3. This hand ismaintained in this position so long as pressure is exerted on thepush-button 18.

Simultaneously, the cam 36, rigid with the cam 20, operates the rod 38which controls the stop lever 40 and produces rotation of the lever 44in the clockwise direction. Lever 44 drives by means of the pin 49, thetoothed sector 47 to bring it into the position represented in FIG. 6,in which the toothed sector 12 occupies one of its extreme positions,with its arm 12b bearing against a stationary rest abutment 51. In thisposition, the toothing 12a of the toothed sector 12 is separated fromthe pinion 10, the connection between the toothed sector and the gearingof the movement being thus interrupted; the indicator 4 then occupiesits initial starting position.

When the user ceases to press on the push-button 18, it starts againinstantaneously the seconds hand 3, as indicated previously, and alsoreleases the lever 44 which moves then in the counter clockwisedirection, under the action of the return spring 21 acting on the cam20, for occupying the position represented in FIG. 7. During thisdisplacement, the pin 49 of the lever 44 leaves the right edge, as seenin the drawing, of the opening 48 provided in the toothed sector 47, torelease the sector 47 The control spring then displaces slightly thesector 47 in the counter clockwise direction until the toothing 12a ofthe toothed sector 12 meshes with the pinion 10, in a position fromwhich the indicator 4 of the minutes is driven by the gearing of themovement, the sector 47, always being controlled by the action of thespring 50, being thus piloted"'by the movement. It is to be noted that,during running of the indicator 4 (position of FIG. 7), the lever 15 isblocked in its working position by a beak 46a of the small plate 46carried by the lever 44 and which constitutes a locking member.

When the 10 minutes necessary so that the two zones 4a and 4b of theminutes indicator 4 have passed under the openings 5 of the dial 6 areelapsed, the indicator 4 reaches the end of its stroke, that is to saythe position represented in FIG. 8, in which the sector 47 bears, by theextremity of an elongated aperture 52 provided therein, on a stationaryabutment 53 coaxial with the pinion 8. The toothed sector 12 reachesthis position while being driven by the toothing 47a of the toothedsector 47, under the effect of the control spring 50 since, as shown byFIG. 8, in this position the toothing 12a of the toothed sector 12 hasjust left the pinion 10 thereby to effect driving by means of thegearing.

It is to be noted that, in this position at the end of the stroke, aslight play must remain, at 54, between the pin 49 and the right edge ofthe opening 48, so that at the next operation of the push-button 18, thelever 44 can move alone, without driving the toothed sector 47, on asmall distance, in a movement during which the beak 46a of the lockingmember 46 releases the lever 15. This play can be adjusted owing to thefact that the pin 49 is eccentric. Thus, when the toothed sector 12effects its running to bring it back into its starting position, underthe effect of the toothed sector 47 the lever 15 is free, so as topermit the pinion 10 to unclick automatically so that it is not drivenby the toothing 12a of the toothed sector 12 during the back movement ofthe toothed sector.

It is to be noted that a return spring 55 acts on the lever 44 when thelever occupies the position represented in FIG. 7, for producing on thelever a torque to absorb the plays the control mechanism could present,from the cam 36 up to the lever 44.

What I claim is:

1. A timer including a geared movement, a resilient driving device and21 minutes indicator arranged to permit counting of a limited number ofminutes, the timer comprising, a control mechanism to control movementof the minutes indicator along a stroke between two exminutes indicator,the connecting device including means to interrupt connection betweenthe movement gearing and the minutes indicator at the end of the strokeof the minutes indicator, whereby upon manual operation of the controlmechanism the minutes indicator is moved to its start position at whichthe minutes indicator is disconnected from the movement gearing and uponrelease of the control mechanism the driving device moves the minutesindicator to thereby connect the minutes indicator with the movementgearing.

2. A timer as claimed in claim 1 in which the control mechanism includesa toothed sector for operating the minutes indicator, the toothed sectorbeing connected to the control mechanism with play therebetween topermit a degree of free movement between the sector and mechanism, thetoothed sector also being moveable by said driving device such that uponmanual operation of the control mechanism the toothed sector is moved toa first extreme position thereby moving the minutes indicator to itsstart position and upon release of the control mechanism the toothedsector becomes disengaged from the driving device to effect movement ofthe minutes indicator by its connection with the movement gearing, saidtoothed sector being displaced by the movement gearing until the minutesindicator reaches the end of its stroke whereupon the toothing of thetoothed sector is disconnected from the movement gearing.

3. A timer as claimed in claim 1 including a seconds indicator connectedto the movement gearing by a coupling device, the seconds indicatorincluding a reset to zero device, the coupling device being controlledby a portion of the control mechanism, whereby upon manual operation ofthe control mechanism the seconds indicator is disconnected from themovement gearing and returned to zero and upon release of the controlmechanism the seconds indicator is coupled to the movement gearing torotate permanently.

4. A timer as claimed in claim 1 in which the connecting device includesa coupling device such that upon manual operation of the controlmechanism and movement of the minutes indicator to its start positionthe coupling device is uncoupled to thereby interrupt connection betweenthe minutes indicator and the movement gearing.

5. A timer as claimed in claim 4 in which the minutes indicator isrotatable around its stroke, the coupling device including aspring-biased movable pinion urged normally into its coupled position,whereby rotation of the minutes indicator to its start position effectsuncoupling of the movable pinion.

' 6. A timer as claimed in claim 5 in which the connecting deviceincludes a toothed sector adapted for meshed cooperation with themovable pinion and the connection between the minutes indicator and themovement gearing is interrupted at the ends of the stroke of theindicator when the sector toothing becomes unmeshed from the movablepinion, the driving device acting at the end of the stroke of theminutes indicator upon said toothed sector to bring the indicator intoits stop position at the end of its stroke.

1. A timer including a geared movement, a resilient driving device and aminutes indicator arranged to permit counting of a limited number ofminutes, the timer comprising, a control mechanism to control movementof the minutes indicator along a stroke between two extreme start andstop positions, said control mechanism being alternately operablemanually in one direction or by said driving device in a directionopposite to that effected by manual operation thereof, a connectingdevice positioned between the movement gearing and the minutesindicator, the connecting device including means to interrupt connectionbetween the movement gearing and the minutes indicator at the end of thestroke of the minutes indicator, whereby upon manual operation of thecontrol mechanism the minutes indicator is moved to its start positionat which the minutes indicator is disconnected from the movement gearingand upon release of the control mechanism the driving device moves theminutes indicator to thereby connect the minutes indicator with themovement gearing.
 2. A timer as claimed in claim 1 in which the controlmechanism includes a toothed sector for operating the minutes indicator,the toothed sector being connected to the control mechanism with playtherebetween to permit a degree of free movement between the sector andmechanism, the toothed sector also being moveable by said driving devicesuch that upon manual operation of the control mechanism the toothedsector is moved to a first extreme position thereby moving the minutesindicator to its start position and upon release of the controlmechanism the toothed sector becomes disengaged from the driving deviceto effect movement of the minutes indicator by its connection with themovement gearing, said toothed sector being displaced by the movementgearing until the minutes indicator reaches the end of its strokewhereupon the toothing of the toothed sector is disconnected from themovement gearing.
 3. A timer as claimed in claim 1 including a secondsindicator connected to the movement gearing by a coupling device, theseconds indicator including a reset to zerO device, the coupling devicebeing controlled by a portion of the control mechanism, whereby uponmanual operation of the control mechanism the seconds indicator isdisconnected from the movement gearing and returned to zero and uponrelease of the control mechanism the seconds indicator is coupled to themovement gearing to rotate permanently.
 4. A timer as claimed in claim 1in which the connecting device includes a coupling device such that uponmanual operation of the control mechanism and movement of the minutesindicator to its start position the coupling device is uncoupled tothereby interrupt connection between the minutes indicator and themovement gearing.
 5. A timer as claimed in claim 4 in which the minutesindicator is rotatable around its stroke, the coupling device includinga spring-biased movable pinion urged normally into its coupled position,whereby rotation of the minutes indicator to its start position effectsuncoupling of the movable pinion.
 6. A timer as claimed in claim 5 inwhich the connecting device includes a toothed sector adapted for meshedcooperation with the movable pinion and the connection between theminutes indicator and the movement gearing is interrupted at the ends ofthe stroke of the indicator when the sector toothing becomes unmeshedfrom the movable pinion, the driving device acting at the end of thestroke of the minutes indicator upon said toothed sector to bring theindicator into its stop position at the end of its stroke.